Weighing Worlds
by RavenCarrie
Summary: Hook finally found the perfect revenge for Rumplestiltskin. He's let go of the idea of letting him pay with his life and instead, gave him the choice of which part of his life he would himself kill. Rumple's choice started a whole new journey of nostalgia, hope and regret.


This is my first fiction material in over a year and I really don't know if I should continue it. This is sort of just like a teaser or a test run, call it what you may. Do tell me what you think. :)

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"I'm not going to allow you to do that for me, Rumple." Belle grabbed the scarf from Rumplestiltskin's outstretched hand. "You have to go find your son."

"And leave you in the hands of Hook? I'm not letting that happen."

"I can take care of myself." Her voice was stern, almost believable.

"Oh, I know you can, darling. I just don't want you to. I've let go of too many things already and I can't afford to risk losing you too." His eyes were fixed on her, the world fading to a blur around them. It was always like that with Belle: she made him a different person altogether, she brought him to an entirely different world; a world in which the impossible was made possible- a world in which he could be loved.

Belle looked to the ground and let out a sigh. "You still have a hold on this." She held up the scarf. The aggressiveness in Rumple's eyes seemed to grow dim.

"You still have the chance to get a hold on him again, Rumple. Are you really going to let that go?" At this point, Belle really didn't know what response she wanted. Yes, she wanted to have the love of her life be with her but she couldn't allow him to give everything up for her: That's all he's ever done for as long as she's known him and for once, she wanted him to do something for himself.

"I can't let you go, Belle. You know that."

"And I can't let you let your entire world go because of me." She held the shawl tighter, trying to hold back the lumps forming in her throat. "I am not the world, Rumple. You had a whole other life before me, other people in your life before I entered it. They deserve to be a part of your world just as much as I do." If there's a word that equals the combination of sincere and hesitant, that would be most accurate to describe how Belle felt while uttering those words. She liked being his world. Selfish at that might sound, she just couldn't shrug off the contentment she found in knowing that her world saw her as his world. On the other hand, she knew that her world was also someone else's world and she could never find it in her to take someone's world away just for hers to be complete.

"I was a monster before you came, Belle. You know that. You're the only one keeping me sane. If I let you go, I'd be letting myself go too." Belle was all Rumplestiltskin had and for the longest time, she's been the reason why he hasn't been going around, taking advantage of the power he knew he had.

"Do you really think you didn't have any good in you before me? I didn't put that in you, I helped bring it out." She took a deep breath, knowing that the next words she had would be enough to convince him to let her go.

"It's Bae, Rumple. Your son has always been the reason why you still have that in you, why you had that in the first place. He's the one you've been fighting for since he was born. He deserves to be fought for this time." Her shaking hands put the scarf in his and this time, he took it and held it close to him.

"Are you done yet?" Hook yawned. They'd almost forgotten that he was there, that there was a reason they had to have that discussion in the first place.

"He's going. And you're taking me as prisoner." Belle walked towards Hook, but her eyes remained glued on Rumple.

Just as she was about to reach Hook, Rumpleslitlskin ran to pin him down. He took Hook's hook from his arm and pressed it against his throat.

"Stop!" Belle screamed at the top of her lungs, unsure of what to feel. "Don't do it, Rumple. That isn't you."

Hook let out a chuckle. "Looks like you still don't know whom you fell in love with, princess."

Rumple pressed the hook even harder, almost hard enough to make that first cut. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"You took my world, I'm just here to take one of yours. It's already quite generous of me, really. I think I deserve a thank you."

He gripped the hook tighter as he clenched his jaw.

"Stop it!" Belle's voice has always been like magic to him: not the kind he's known, but something better, more powerful.

"Leave, Rumple. Just go!" And just like any other form of magic, the damage it can do is way too much for words to contain.

He left without saying anything more. He walked past the border, looked back to watch Hook take the love of his life from him the second time around and remembered just how much of his world he's let go. He looked to the horizon, trying to make sense of the decision he's just made: trying to rethink if letting his love go would be worth the risk of finding who made him whom he is. And as he started walking, he pictured how it would be like being able to hold Bae in his arms again and everything suddenly made sense.

_Poppa's coming for you, Bae. Poppa will never stop fighting for you._


End file.
